Two charged near Sundre after dog, cat, horse and five lambs stolen

A Sundre woman and Rocky Mountain House man are facing many charges after a farm was robbed and the path of evidence allegedly led to them.

According to a July 18 press release from the Sundre RCMP, “On July 15, 2018, a rural property owner reported to the RCMP Sundre detachment that she came home earlier that afternoon to find that the chain on her gate to her property had been cut.

“She further stated that someone came onto her property, broke into her residence and several out buildings and stole boxes of personal items, various animal feed and dog kennels. While checking her property further, she learned that her dog, Siamese cat, a horse and five lambs were also stolen.

“The property owner followed up with her neighbours to determine if they witnessed anything where she learned that an adult female driving a white truck was seen on her property the previous day. The neighbours were familiar with the female and obtained the licence plate and photos of the truck which was passed onto the property owner.

“The property owner attended the female’s residence and immediately saw her animals where she called police. She provided the photos she received from the neighbours, but also personal photos of her animals to assist the police with identifying her animals.

“Police attended the female’s residence and confirmed the presence of the animals and arrested a female and a male for possession of stolen property. A search warrant was obtained to search the property where a majority of the possessions were recovered including all the animals that were stolen.”

Police noted two people have been charged in connection with these crimes. ‘Ginia Marie Ann Rees, 36, of Sundre, Alberta has been charged for break and enter, theft under $5,000, six counts of theft of cattle, mischief under $5,000, possession of stolen property and obstruction,” stated RCMP. “Carl Gerald Johnson, 60, of Rocky Mountain House, AB has been charged with possession of stolen property and obstruction. Both Ms. Rees and Mr. Johnson were released from custody to appear in Alberta Provincial Court in Didsbury, AB on August 20, 2018 to speak to the allegations.”

“Residents provide the RCMP with local intelligence. Members of the community know when there are strange vehicles in the area, suspicious behaviours being observed or knowledge of attempted crimes. When the RCMP receives this information it assists with the deployment of resources. The public is encouraged to report crimes that have been committed, no matter how small. This feeds into the RCMP’s larger intelligence picture.

“This is a perfect result of neighbours watching out for one another and I am pleased that the Sundre Detachment was able to get those animals back to their rightful owner,” stated Cpl Joe Mandel.